The Kingston Park club get their league season underway at 8pm tonight when Gloucester are their visitors, club officials confirming around 2,500 season tickets have been sold.

That is up 12% on the same time last year, average crowds last season having been 28% up on the year before.

Flanker Richard Mayhew, who starts at flanker this evening, believes the club have a responsibility to feed off the increased interest that a trio of Rugby World Cup games have brought to the city.

The Kiwi was among the 50,000 people inside St James’ Park for matches involving, New Zealand, Tonga, Scotland, Samoa and South Africa, saying: “Having the Rugby World Cup in Newcastle has been brilliant.

“I went to all three games and enjoyed every one of them – just the buzz around the city and then inside the stadium.

“For us as a club the hope is that we can capture part of that and convince some of those people to come down to Kingston Park, and then reward them with a performance when they do come.”

Mayhew added: “Newcastle has embraced the Rugby World Cup more than I think most people expected. It has been awesome. There has been a great vibe around town and all three of the games have been good to watch.

“The next few Falcons home games are a huge chance for us as a club to draw those guys in, continue the buzz they have got from the World Cup and persuade them to keep coming to the rugby. People are talking about the sport and we need to capitalise on that.”

Asked who he thinks will prevail in the World Cup as the tournament this weekend reaches the knock-out rounds, Mayhew said: “As a Kiwi I have got to back New Zealand.

“I think it is good they have France in the quarter-finals, even though everyone talks about the hoodoo. I just think we can put the hammer down, get a good result and then go all the way.

“Australia are the biggest threat of all the teams I have seen so far. It is a shame about England because I have a bit of English heritage, but it is All Blacks all the way for me.”